Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 714

“Swim?”

[Yes, Guild Leader.]

“Swimming?”

[I knew I wasn’t the weird one. Seeing that you have the same reaction, Guild Leader.]

“No.”

[Please wait a moment. I know what you want to say right now. I understand that feeling one hundred percent. So, before you get angry, I think it would be good to listen to my briefing.]

“…Go ahead.”

Only after listening to Lee Hyun-soo’s long-winded briefing did Kang Jin-ho nod his head.

It certainly made sense.

‘The power of fixed ideas is scary.’

Even though he knew that ordinary people and martial artists were different, when he thought about something, he thought based on the standards of ordinary people. He had a sense of how strong martial artists were, but he often forgot that they had overwhelming physical strength compared to ordinary people.

‘Come to think of it, it’s not that difficult.’

20km….

Even if the demons were lower in level than ordinary martial artists, swimming for ten hours wouldn’t be that difficult.

20km in ten hours is 2km in one hour.

That much is definitely possible.

“There won’t be any problems like hypothermia, right?”

[That part was ambiguous, so I’ve already put a couple of them in the sea off Incheon.]

“…Really?”

[Yes. I thought we should also consider the unique characteristics of demonic arts, so I put those who have mastered demonic arts in the water. If there are no problems after being in the water for about a day, we’ll proceed.]

Kang Jin-ho’s hand holding the phone trembled.

He couldn’t decide whether to praise him for being so thorough or to curse him for being a madman. His thorough preparation, considering all situations, was commendable, but why was he conducting experiments so recklessly?

‘It’s the most efficient way, though.’

And it’s certain.

He would have to address this issue at some point, but it seemed right to just let it go for now. Instead, he didn’t forget to send his condolences to his subordinates who were submerged in the sea off Incheon.

“What about the ship?”

[I’ll arrange it. But as you know, there have been several ship accidents recently, so it’s not easy to arrange a large ship. There aren’t many ships in Korea that can accommodate that many people.]

“Is that so?”

[Yes. Basically, even if we get the maximum, a cruise ship of 130,000 tons or more is the limit. That would accommodate about 3,000 people. The estimate is 10,000, but that includes families, right?]

“That’s right.”

[Then a 130,000-ton cruise ship would be able to accommodate the martial artists without any problems. It’s not like they’re going on a trip. The problem is that it’s not easy to find a cruise ship of that size. Moreover, cruise ships of 130,000 tons or more are quite famous, so it’s not easy to bring them in secretly. We need to come up with a way…]

“Bring it from abroad.”

[Pardon?]

“It doesn’t have to be a passenger ship. Just fill a cargo ship with empty containers and shove about twenty people into each container. A hundred containers would hold two thousand people. Why bother bringing a cruise ship and drawing attention? A cargo ship is enough.”

[…Still, they’re people.]

“Think of them as cargo.”

[Sometimes, it seems like you really don’t treat martial artists like people, Guild Leader.]

I don’t want to hear that from you of all people.

“Whatever. We can get a cargo ship quickly, right?”

[Much better. I’ll make sure we’re ready within a week.]

“Okay. Contact me if there are any special issues.”

[Yes. Take care.]

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and looked up at the ceiling.

‘For now, it seems like the preparations are done…’

He had solved the biggest problem for now. Moving so many martial artists from China to Korea was definitely not an easy task. He had no choice but to rely on Lee Hyun-soo’s skills.

Now, only very minor problems remained. For example….

“So, you can get clothes that fit that size, right? Inefficient, inefficient.”

“If we’re talking about efficiency, shouldn’t we be discussing your efficiency in still breathing oxygen at your age?”

“This big oaf?”

“This old geezer?”

Yes, a very minor problem.

Kang Jin-ho currently had two forces under his command. The General Assembly, which he had completely taken over, and the modern Demonic Cult, which was not yet completely under his control but would be soon. If Kang Jin-ho was excluded, the two martial artists who were the leaders of the two forces were bickering, but it wasn’t a big problem.

Because there were more serious problems piled up.

However, how should he put it….

“You speak Chinese well, you barbarian!”

“If you’ve lived that long, isn’t it time to crawl into your coffin, old man?”

“Listening to that awkward pronunciation makes my ears rot. Do you even know what tones mean?”

“You’re just a lowly demon, yet you talk so well.”

Every time the two of them said a word, Kang Jin-ho’s body twitched.

From a Chinese person’s point of view, he was a barbarian, and apart from Jang Min, he was old enough to have no equal, and a lowly demon with an awkward pronunciation.

‘Why am I getting hurt when they’re fighting each other?’

It was strange.

They were throwing direct hits at each other, but those direct hits were strangely curving and embedding themselves in Kang Jin-ho’s abdomen. It was a curveball that would make even a major leaguer cry.

“Um…”

Kang Jin-ho couldn’t stand it anymore and opened his mouth. But it seemed like they couldn’t hear him.

“Be grateful that you are a servant of the Demon Lord. If not, I would have thrown that big head of yours to the children to kick around.”

“Can you even kick a soccer ball with my head? You all look so weak, it seems impossible?”

“Get up. I’ll let you see in the afterlife whether you can kick a soccer ball with your head or not.”

“Wouldn’t you find out how brittle your old bones are? If your bones break at that age, they won’t heal well, so you should be careful, shouldn’t you?”

“You bastard!”

“You old geezer!”

As the two glared at each other as if they were going to kill each other, Kang Jin-ho sighed deeply.

Come to think of it, it was harder for these two to get along than for a dog and a monkey to be friends.

Bator was a Mongolian and a member of the orthodox faction. Jang Min, who was a Central Plains [the historical heartland of China] person and a member of the Demonic Cult, could not have a good relationship with him. When they were superficially involved with each other, they might have found each other interesting, but from the moment they realized that they had to live together as colleagues, they had no choice but to show their teeth to each other.

It was fortunate that they were only fighting with words and not throwing punches right away.

‘They’re only doing this much because they’re aware of me.’

They were only fighting with words because they were in front of Kang Jin-ho. If Kang Jin-ho had left, it wouldn’t have been strange if they had already started a life-or-death battle.

“Enough is enough.”

When Kang Jin-ho raised his voice, the two coughed awkwardly.

Kang Jin-ho first glared at Jang Min and said,

“It seems like you’re very uncomfortable mixing words with a barbarian?”

“T-That can’t be, Demon Lord! I have never thought such a thing! Besides, you are a true Central Plains person, aren’t you? You just entered such a body…”

“I’m originally Korean, though?”

“Ah… I didn’t know that.”

Leaving the flustered Jang Min behind, Kang Jin-ho looked at Bator. Just by making eye contact, Bator’s huge body twitched.

“It seems like you’ve had a hard time living with that lowly demon?”

“…Master, it’s a misunderstanding. I wasn’t referring to you.”

“It doesn’t seem like your opinion that demons are lowly has changed?”

“I-I’ll try to change it.”

“Never mind.”

Kang Jin-ho put his hand on his forehead and tilted his head back. His head was hot. He was getting a fever.

‘Why are they all like this?’

In the past, those who assisted him were a bit reckless, but they had a serious side. But recently, it seemed like there were only crazy people around him.

‘I miss Yoo-min.’

Kang Jin-ho realized how blessed it was that the first person he had made friends with after returning to the modern world was Park Yoo-min.

If he had returned to the modern world and immediately joined the martial arts world without meeting Park Yoo-min, he couldn’t imagine what he would be like now.

“I know you have complaints about each other.”

“No, Demon Lord.”

“Master, it’s not like that…”

“But!”

Kang Jin-ho slightly gritted his teeth.

“If you’re going to voice your complaints without thinking, just because you don’t like something, then you should give up your position as an adult.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Hmm, I think I was too harsh, Master.”

Kang Jin-ho scratched his head. Jang Min was a 180-year-old man, no, an old monster, and Bator was also over 50 years old. But why were they acting like middle schoolers having trouble with a transfer student?

“What’s the problem?”

When Kang Jin-ho glared at him, Jang Min answered by bowing his head deeply.

But Bator didn’t back down.

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

“If I back down here, it might bring you comfort right now, but I don’t think it will be helpful in the long run, so I’ll stand my ground.”

“Huh?”

Bator puffed out his chest as if he had done nothing wrong. He just straightened his back, but it was strangely threatening.

“Men are beasts.”

Kang Jin-ho stared at Bator with an astonished look.

What the hell was he talking about?

“Ah, I think I didn’t convey the meaning correctly. To be more precise, men have a wild nature. Animals that live in groups need a hierarchy.”

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded as if he understood what he meant.

“It might be okay when there are only a few. But from the moment there are many, a hierarchy is needed. Whether we like it or not, that old man and I will have to work together and confront each other in the future. The reason why a wolf in the prairie can maintain so many groups is simple. If there are fifty, there will be fifty ranks, and if there are a hundred, there will be a hundred ranks.”

Kang Jin-ho answered blankly.

“So, you’re saying we need to have a hierarchy fight?”

“That’s what men are, and that’s what martial artists are. You’ve seen it a lot, haven’t you, Master?”

“…I don’t know much about that.”

He just beat up anyone he didn’t like or anyone who gave orders without knowing their place. That’s how he naturally became the leader because there was no one above him. There was no one who challenged him from below either. Anyone who challenged him was crushed by Cheongma’s hand before they could even reach him.

“That’s not wrong, Demon Lord.”

Jang Min raised his head and his eyes gleamed.

“It’s better to have clear command authority. I will let that young punk know the sacredness of the Demonic Cult.”

“No…”

“Master, if we focus on the Demonic Cult,

we cannot move forward. We need to make them aware of their position.”

“That…”

“Demon Lord!”

“Master!”

Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette from his pocket with a weak hand and put it in his mouth.

He didn’t have the strength to turn on the lighter.

“…Do whatever you want.”